Wayne Gretzky in Slap Shot? Does that mean the Hanson Brothers are getting The Great One as a teammate on the Charlestown Chiefs? No it does not. And perhaps that's for the best after fans of the franchise were subjected to Slap Shot 3. What it means is Electronic Arts has a new Wii hockey game, NHL Slapshot, and Wayne Gretzky is the coverboy.

EA Sports announced the new title today, promising an all new digital hockey experience thanks to a new Wii hockey stick controller that allows players to shoot, pass, and bodycheck (no word on slashing or high sticking) like the pros.

"EA Sports has been making great hockey games in Canada for 20 years now, and the team behind the game is really passionate about the sport," Gretzky said in a statement. "Being on the cover of the new Wii version of the game is exciting and is probably going to make me a bit cooler in the eyes of my kids."

That's right, kids. This TV and console are powered by my magnetism alone.

Gretzky will also appear in the game as a playable character, and NHL Slapshot is scheduled to launch in September.

"Making our games as close to the real thing has always been our focus," EA Sports Creative Director David Littman said in a statement. "Now we are giving players an actual plastic hockey stick that the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers plug into. Players can then use the new NHL Slapshot Hockey Stick to do all the moves in the game."



Sharkey says: Make me a bit cooler in the eyes of my kids? Love the humility, Great One, but if you were to get any cooler in any Canadian hockey fan's eyes, you would likely sprout wings and fly away.